I abandoned law to pursue acting because of N20,000 salary – Femi Adebayo

Nollywood actor and producer Femi Adebayo has opened up about the moment he decided to leave being a lawyer for acting.

In a recent interview, the renowned actor, who holds a Master’s Degree in law from the University of Ibadan, revealed that his mind was made up on switching careers when he received an acting offer worth N50,000 for three days, at a time he was being paid N20,000 a month as a lawyer.

He noted that at the time, he had been acting on the side as a hobby, but then decided to take up acting as a career after seeing how financially rewarding it was.

Adebayo said: “Honestly speaking, when I started working as a lawyer, my salary then was just N20,000 on a monthly basis and acting was a hobby for me all this while. So not until they invited me for acting roles, they were ready to pay me N50,000 for three days. And as a lawyer, I was getting N20,000 for one month. I said, Femi, this acting is your calling. That was when I decided that I would abandon law practice and face entertainment fully.”

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As it turned out, Adebayo’s decision to pursue acting full-time was a good one, as he is now one of the most recognised actors and producers in Nollywood, with successful projects like Seven Doors, Jagun Jagun, and King of Thieves (Agesinkole).

With his success in the Nigerian movie industry, Adebayo has taken the legacy of his veteran actor father, Adebayo Salami, popularly known as Oga Bello, to a whole new level, shooting the family name to national prominence.

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